I Lost (Most Of) My Freshman 15 and My Insta Game Turned Fire

We've all been there. A bright, shiny, new high school graduate, ready to take the [college] world by storm. Never again will you be this ambitious, hopeful, or easily able to fit into size petite 00. The looming threat of the Freshman 15 that later leads into the Sophomore 25 and so on and so on for the rest of your new adult life. During those early days and weeks of college we all feel like this is an empty threat, probably drilled into our heads by parents or older friends and siblings. As the days and weeks turn into months and semesters, we begin to realize that maybe the Freshman 15 is more than just a horror story reserved to be told in fireside fables and is actually the reality looking back at us in our full-length mirror.

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If you are sitting there reading this thinking to yourself that this is not true you are, 1, in the lucky .000001% that manage to somehow escape this fate or, 2, wrongfully mistaken. I, probably like most of y'all, fell victim to this villain. The countless binges of late night pizza, chicken nuggets, and pink champagne combined with bottomless french fries and dessert proved that my will power was not as strong as it had previously been, neither was my metabolism or rigor of workouts.

After coming home for Christmas break and needing to go up a size or two in my regular go-to stores, and later three or four sizes after second semester, I realized the damage that had taken place throughout the past months. I went from the ideal size 0-2 to just skimming the limits of double digit sizes. After being a very serious dancer for most of my life, I had never before experienced this. Completely superficial, I know, it was a life shattering shock and I knew that something needed to change.

No, I am not a fitness blogger or Instagrammer and this is not about to be a novel describing my workout routines. If you would like more detail on how I managed to make this happen feel free to text me, beep me (if ya wanna reach me!) or slide on into my DM's. Throughout the past 12+ months I have gotten back into taking more regular dance classes, cardio and weight training, and cleaning up my diet. Throughout this process I am almost back to my size pre-college and I have never been so lit. I was never one of the "naturally skinny" girls in elementary and middle school and buying clothes have always been a struggle considering my hips seem to be about a 853648374758 sizes different than my waist. These past months have really made me dig deep to realize personal goals and to find the motivation to achieve them.

This whole journey has brought a second victory into my life. Not only can I confidently fit into my high school size denim shorts but my Instagram game has never been more on point. As I reached my fitness and health goals I was simultaneously reaching hundreds of new followers which helped me strategize more when it came to my social media posts. Yes, these could be two totally unrelated events but I think that the timing is too parallel to be a mere coincidence.

Over the past year or so I have both lost most of my freshly gained freshman 15 as well as kickstarted my identity as a cultivated, curated, creative blogger and IG account and I have y'all to thank for a big part of the latter.

Below please enjoy my pre college (first picture) post freshman year (second and third picture) and post sophomore year body changes (fourth and fifth picture).

Yes the ominous Freshman 15 is a very real monster but it can both be succumbed to as well as overcome. Yes it adds on much easier and happier than it melts back off, but it can melt off. To those of you just about to start their college adventure, be weary of this. No you should not deprive yourself of the bounties of sweets and sparkling, spiked, or deep fried treats that will face you throughout the next few months and years but remember that every action has a equal and opposite reaction. If you consume this you need to work just as hard to burn it back off if you are trying to maintain your high school shape. If you are already in the think of your college career and have fallen victim to this villain there is still hope, it can be done, this can be beaten and overcome. All that is needed is for you to face the mirror and make it happen.

XOXO-

HG